Friday, December 23, 2016

[Review] Things to Come

Isabelle Huppert gives a ravishing performance in Mia Hansen-Løve's Things to Come, a fresh and adept character study of latter-life changes.

Nathalie (Isabelle Huppert) is a passionate philosophy teacher, married with two kids, and doing her best to keep her ailing mother from going off the deep end. One unassuming day, her longtime husband tells her that he's leaving for another woman. What a jerk! From here, Nathalie navigates how to move forward. There's pains, but also newfound freedom. "I'm taking it very well," she says.

The film comes with a talky sense of realism. There's a lot of navel gazing and food for thought--while the characters literally eat food. I'll be honest, this isn't the most cinematic or engrossing stuff to see on the big screen. However, the film deserves appreciation for its portrait of a character that isn't usually explored in this way. Nathalie refuses to wallow in self-pity. No woe is me montages... No tearful breakdowns... She even takes a chance on new opportunities. Isabelle Huppert plays it with a flawless reserve, and by the end of the film, we feel like we've gotten to know an actual person.

Things to Come is a rich snapshot, drifting along--just like life. Oh, and there's an awesome cat.